Director Abhishek Chaubey recently disclosed that his 2010 cult film Ishqiya was initially planned with Pankaj Tripathi, Irrfan Khan, and Preity Zinta in the lead roles. However, due to scheduling conflicts and creative differences, the trio had to leave the project.
Chaubey revealed, “Initially, Pankaj ji was supposed to play Khalujan (the role that eventually went to Naseeruddin Shah) and Irrfan was to play Babban (the role that ultimately went to Arshad Warsi). At various points, Lara Dutta was approached, but Preity Zinta was finalized. She had read an earlier draft, liked it a lot, and was on board. I then left for New York feeling very happy that the story was solid. And while I was there, I received the news that Preity had left the project. Irrfan bhai was in New York at that time, so he called me, asked where I was and invited me over. He was staying on the 50th floor of a very luxurious hotel and I remember standing beneath that Waldorf Astoria-type building, wearing a torn jacket and jeans.”
He then further added, “At that very moment, a limo arrived and stopped in front of me and Brad Pitt Angelina Jolie got out of it. And from another limo that came and stopped nearby, out stepped Irrfan bhai. It was an amazing sight. I then went with him to his hotel room, and there, I narrated the basic story to him. He felt that the changes to the script weren’t in favour of his character. That’s when I realized he probably wouldn’t do it. While great things happened with the script, terrible things happened behind the scenes.”
Abhishek Chaubey revealed that Naseeruddin Shah was initially hesitant about his role in Ishqiya, particularly the romantic scenes. “I sent him the script, and he called me, asking, ‘Are you sure you want me for this?’ When I asked why, he admitted, ‘I’ve never romanced on camera before.’” Despite his doubts, Naseeruddin delivered a stellar performance. Chaubey added that after Naseeruddin’s confirmation, Arshad Warsi soon joined the cast, completing the iconic duo.
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